AFFL Team Pre-Draft Preview '15: Prime Time
Raffi Lalazarian
For the next twelve days, the AFFL will give you a break down of each manager and preview their 2015 Fantasy season. We will take a look at what the team has done up to this point, their current keeper situation, and take an early look at how the difficulty of their schedule. Teams will be previewed in reverse draft order, starting with 12 and ending at 1. You can further see more about each manager and team by clicking on the teams tab and visiting each team page.
11. Prime Time
History:
- 2014 runner-up
- One of four original founding managers.
- Made playoffs 6 of 9 seasons
- Has finished in the top 3 five times in 9 seasons.
- Has had a winning record in every season but two.
- Never had less than six wins
- Drafted two Qbs in the first three rounds twice. Backfired both times.
When you think of the AFFL and its teams, there are few that jump right out. Prime Time, a.k.a. the bully, is one of those few. He has been a presence in the league since its inception, and while many will say that Prime Time teams are over-hyped, he has the resume to back it up. Last years runner-up has finished in the top three in two-thirds of the seasons he's been in the league. If that's not impressive enough, Prime has had winning seasons every year except two, and has never finished with less than six wins. There isn't another team in the league that can claim that same feat. Consistently good, and always a threat for the post-season, Prime Time is, simply put, one of the elite franchises of the AFFL.
If there is one word that would define a PT team it's depth. PT drafting strategies aim to build depth at all positions, but give extra attention to the running back group. Frequent pick-ups and small moves that could pay bigger dividends later characterize the teams approach. However, the more peculiar part of the team is the aura that surrounds it. PT teams are like the creature in a horror movie that comes from the swamp that can't be stopped. The smorgasbord of players and mesh-mash of personnel always seem to perform when the team's back is up against the wall. It doesn't matter how bad the team's drafts are initially, by mid-season, and despite a losing record, Prime will find a way to become relevant. Whether it be through a trade, a waiver pick-up, or having one of his many handcuff RB's get a starting gig, things seem to always work out.
There have been a few red styes in PT history. We wouldn't characterize PT as one of the best drafters in the league by any stretch of the imagination. He successfully lost the opportunity to be characterized as such after he drafted two top tier quarterbacks with his first three picks on two separate occasions thinking that he could trade one for a top tier WR or RB. With other managers knowing he was desperate to trade, the market value for those players plummeted and he was forced to almost give the players away for nothing, a decision that ended up costing him the playoffs during one season.
With the second highest winning percentage of active managers at 58%, and considering the previously mentioned top three finishes, PT should be considered a dynasty. However, despite the success and high level of consistency, PT has failed to reach AFFL Nirvana and solidify his name in the pantheon of other AFFL champions. While lady luck is on PT's side during the season, she doesn't want to stay for the final dance when it comes to the playoffs. Prime hopes to change that this year.
2015 Preview
Potential Keepers = Excellent
- Levon Bell Pick #26
- Brandon Cooks Pick #48
Schedule = Medium
- x2 = Jaj Cousteau and Magnum Sev.i
Draft
Drafting Levon Bell in the ninth round two years ago has paid off huge dividends for Prime. He now is able to keep the consensus overall #1 pick in most any fantasy draft at pick #26. Cooks is also great value at pick #48, about a full round after where he usually goes. With an RB/WR in place in the middle rounds, and still having a 1st and 2nd round pick, PT has the luxury of going building more depth at those positions if he cares, or going Aaron Rodgers at pick 11 if he's there. Should he opt to build his WR depth a player like Megatron or Aj Green (highest avail) he would then more than likely would add an RB in the second round to cover Bell's pending two game suspension. We are fairly certain that running backs will be the primary targets for PT during the middle rounds, something the team does nearly every draft. The intriguing question will be to see if teams that are drafting around him (cobra kai and Jaj) steal many of his mid round picks to do the same, as all three teams have similar keeper builds in RB/WR. As long as he doesn't take two quarterbacks with his first two picks, he should be primed to start the year strong. Not as strong as when Bell gets back on the field, but strong none-the-less.
Schedule
As it looks right now, Prime won't be affected by any of the bye weeks to the teams that he is forced to play twice. Jaj's team will have two very strong keepers on it in Antonio Brown and Charles, so it is highly likely that his team will be stronger than most. Magnum may have only one keeper in Emmanuel Sanders, so his squad is yet to be finalized. We can anticipate that since the team is drafting in the first six rounds, they will get enough play-makers to roster a competitive team. Looking at the rest of teams, PT will have Bell on bye week 11, while HBK will have both keepers available. That's a long way away, but something to note. We can safely say that as of now, the four games he plays against the teams he play twice in the tough Mazoon division won't pose too much of a problem for PT.
